The classroom was filled with the usual morning chatter, students settling into their seats and talking about anything but classes. At the back of the room, Osamu Kuroda sat by the window, resting his arm on it as he let the morning breeze lull him to sleep. Sleeping in class had become part of his routine, and no one seemed surprised to see him in that state.
The teacher entered, clapping his hands a couple of times to get everyone's attention.
"Silence, everyone!" he said firmly. "Before we begin, we have a new student. Please come up."
All eyes turned to the door when a girl with long pink hair entered the room, walking confidently. Her expression was relaxed, and she wore a light but confident smile.
"Hello, everyone," she said, giving a small bow. "I'm Nino Nakano. I hope we get along."
Some boys exchanged excited looks, and several girls were already whispering about how pretty she was. Nino barely paid attention to the comments, maintaining a calm attitude.
"Alright, Nakano," the teacher said. "You can sit at the back, by the window."
"Understood," she replied, walking casually to her seat.
When she reached the desk, she noticed the boy next to her, his head resting on his arm, eyes closed, seemingly lost in the world of dreams. Nino looked at him curiously before letting out a small sigh and sitting down.
After settling in, she gave him a light nudge on the arm, trying to get his attention.
"Hey, are you alive?" she asked in a playful tone.
Osamu barely opened one eye, just enough to glance at her.
"...More or less," he mumbled, adjusting to go back to sleep.
Nino raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.
"Wow, such enthusiasm," she commented. "Are you always this lively?"
"Only when the day calls for it," he replied, still with his eyes closed.
Nino rested her chin on her hand and watched him with a playful smile.
"You're a rare case," she said. "I thought you'd at least say 'welcome' or something."
Osamu opened both eyes, though without much interest.
"Welcome," he said, then closed his eyes again.
Nino let out a genuine laugh and shook her head.
"Well, at least you tried," she said with a light smile. "Though you could put in a little more effort to seem alive."
"I'll try harder tomorrow," he responded, making it clear he didn't plan to move from his position.
Nino smiled amusedly and decided to leave him alone... for now. But there was something about this laid-back guy that caught her attention, though she wasn't quite sure what it was.
The class began with the usual tone, the murmur of classmates filling the air. Osamu Kuroda was, as usual, resting at his desk, almost as if school life was a well-deserved break for him. The other students, already used to his lazy attitude and hidden brilliance, left him alone. No one was surprised when he spent the entire day without lifting his head from his arm.
Suddenly, the teacher broke the silence of the class by throwing a question into the air. Everyone tensed, avoiding eye contact with the teacher, fearful of being called on to answer. The teacher looked around before pointing directly at Osamu, who didn't even lift his gaze.
"Kuroda, can you answer?" the teacher asked.
Without flinching, Osamu opened one eye and, without missing a beat, answered monotonously:
"It's 3x plus 7."
The teacher nodded and continued the lesson, without commenting on Osamu's attitude. For everyone else, it was just another day with the "lazy genius."
Nino, on the other hand, stared at Osamu with a look of astonishment. As soon as the teacher turned away, she couldn't help but mutter, "What the hell?"
"Was he asleep?" she whispered to herself.
When the exercises were handed out, Nino looked at her notebook and her face immediately dropped. Math had never been her strong suit, and today's problems were no exception. She looked at the numbers and symbols, and a knot formed in her stomach.
"This is..." she murmured, thinking that maybe it would be easier to understand how the universe works than to try and solve these problems.
She glanced at the teacher, then at her classmates, and finally her eyes landed on Osamu, who was still ignoring everything.
With a small exhale of frustration, Nino decided she couldn't endure this torture any longer. She leaned forward in her seat, with one hand resting on her desk, and got close enough to Osamu for him to hear her.
"Hey, Osamu-kun..." she said softly, not raising her voice but just enough to interrupt his peace.
Osamu slowly lifted his head, lazily looking at her, not really surprised. It was clear he had already noticed someone was speaking to him, but his relaxed attitude didn't change.
"What's up, Nakano?" he asked, his voice not showing much interest.
Nino bit her lip, looking at her notebook again. She didn't want to admit she was completely lost, but she also couldn't just sit there doing nothing. Finally, she decided to speak directly.
"I don't understand any of this..." she said, pointing at her notebook, frustration evident in her voice. "Math is killing me. I thought you could help me, you know... like before, when you answered so quickly."
Osamu sighed, as if it was hard for him to give her more attention, but the truth was there was something in her voice that made him pay a little more attention. However, his response wasn't what Nino expected.
"I don't know... I don't feel like explaining all of that. I don't want any more work than necessary," he said, settling back into his seat, not too worried.
Nino looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled as if she had a brilliant idea.
"What if I buy you whatever you want for lunch?" she said, her tone softer but with a persuasive touch. "I promise, it's a pretty good deal."
Osamu raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, but without his expression changing much.
"Whatever I want?" he asked, almost incredulously. "Really?"
Nino nodded with a smile, not hesitating.
"Yes, whatever you want. A drink, a bento, whatever you feel like. It's a deal, right?" she said, with a mix of determination and a bit of flirtation.
Osamu looked at her for a few moments, clearly thinking. The offer seemed simple enough, but something in him couldn't resist the chance to not have to do anything extra. Finally, he made a gesture of surrender.
"Fine..." he said with a tone that was a mix of exhaustion and resignation, but there was also a bit of curiosity. "You've got me with that, huh? But don't expect me to put in too much effort."
Nino smiled victoriously, feeling she had achieved her goal.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, returning to her normal seated posture. "I promise you won't regret it."
Osamu sighed once more, but at least now he seemed willing to make the minimum effort. And while Nino wasn't sure how she'd get him to understand everything from class, she was happy that at least she had the help she needed, for the moment.